Cove’s bottles are made through a complex fermentation process, including feeding microbes food waste to produce polymer cells that can be used for plastic production, which is later then able to be broken down by other microbes (PHA). The brand has received biodegradable certification from TÜV Australia and estimates that the bottles take 1-5 years to decompose in a natural environment and 90 days in industrial conditions. Compostable and biodegradable products are a great solution to combating single-use plastics, but they still face their own challenges. These alternatives do not break down in a landfill, which is a common misconception. The water bottles also cannot be recycled, so they are disposed of properly in an industrial composting facility or at-home composting. 

In December of 2022, the brand launched at the popular L.A. health food store, Erewhon, and plans to expand to other retail partners in the near future. The brand wants its product to be the start of a more significant change within the industry, and other companies follow suit by innovating their packaging to minimize the use of plastics. Cove’s current manufacturing facility in California can produce 20 million bottles of water a year. The brand plans to continue to scale its operations, including plans to move into an even larger facility. For many, there is no solution to single-use plastic water bottles as they are the only safe water source. Cove could be an absolute game changer in these communities. There are other alternatives, such as glass bottles and boxed water, but these sometimes lack the accessibility of traditional plastic bottles, which would be where we see Cove growing. Change for single-use plastic water bottles has to start somewhere, and Cove is committed to being part of the solution, which we hope picks up traction with consumers.